When a service such as a repair procedure is requested, a service order may be created that identifies the service is to be performed, how the service is to be performed, and who will pay for it. Service orders may be very simple, with a single service provider and a single service item, or service orders may be very complex matters that involve several different service providers who incur costs in providing the service, several different types of services or service items, and several receivers responsible for paying for the service to be performed.
Enterprises that manage the performance of services typically have a computing system to manage the service orders, and in many cases, especially in large enterprises, the computing system to manage service orders may include several separate computing components that all operate in an integrated fashion to manage the entire service order process. One system component may be a cost accounting system in which costs and revenues associated with various service orders may be tracked. In addition, there may be a separate billing computing system that performs the billing function of receiving the information necessary to create a bill for execution of the service order, and creating the bill.
The overall business scenario of a service order may include several processes that are relevant for cost controlling. In a resource planning process, for example, working times, materials, and expenses may be planned for a service order. In general, this process includes planning the costs connected with the service order, and planning the revenues that can be expected. When corresponding service items included in a service order are consumed, users, for example a field service technician, may provide confirmations to report actual usage on these service items.
In some service order scenarios, especially the more complex service scenarios, the value of the entire billing amount may need to be allocated among several different payers and among several different providers of the service. In some cases, the different service providers may be part of the same business enterprise, but a different cost center of the enterprise. In addition, the costs of the service items may need to be allocated to the different service providers involved in executing the service order and who receive payment for the services. Also, the total of the invoiced amount for the service order need not be equal to the confirmed amount of the service order. It may be less or zero if the item cannot be partly or totally billed to a party. Alternatively, the invoiced amount may be more if the same item is billed to more than one party, for example, if the item is billed to a customer and also to an insurance company. In addition, the total of distributed costs need not be equal to the confirmed costs.
In many complex business scenarios, the various allocations may not be known at the outset of a service order. In addition, circumstances that arise during the execution of the service order may cause the allocations to need to be changed. Further yet, different people who use different components of the multiple component computing system may have different information and may be needed to provide input to identify the correct allocation. Having the right allocations determined is very important, because it is needed to make sure invoices are correct and go to the correct payers. In addition, as a cost accounting and controlling matter, determining the correct allocations is also very important so that the costs of the service order are allocated correctly.